What is the source of a creative idea? Where does it start and how is it realised? Musician Jack White, British actress Tilda Swinton, artist Mike Kelley and many other celebrated cultural figures discuss the root of their creativity with leading contemporary artist Doug Aitken in Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken – The Source.

The project is the first to be selected as part of the Sky Arts Ignition Series, a new funding initiative which will see Sky Arts partner with six leading arts organisations to invest directly in the creation of new groundbreaking art works, events and performances. Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken – The Source is a part of the 2012 Liverpool Biennial.

Aitken’s first public realm installation in the The Source will showcase the artist’s pioneering approach to public art. Creative visionaries of all ages and backgrounds, working across different art forms, will consider two questions: where does the creative idea start and how is it realised? Participants sharing their thoughts with Aitken include David Adjaye, Devendra Banhart, Beck, Thomas Demand, Liz Diller, William Eggleston, Jacques Herzog, Mike Kelley, Lucky Dragons, James Murphy, Philippe Parreno, Richard Phillips, Jack Pierson, Stephen Shore, Paolo Soleri, Tilda Swinton, Ryan Trecartin and Jack White.

The work will be housed on Liverpool’s historic Albert Dock in a temporary pavilion designed in collaboration with British architect David Adjaye OBE. This deliberate separation from the traditional gallery space will create a new creative territory and cultural destination. The pavilion will have a night-time presence, with the work projecting outwards from the structure.

Aitken said:

This project is about the roots of creativity. Many of the people in this project are working in very diverse mediums and it’s that common thread that I’m interested in. The project is very much about the empowerment of the viewer. I want the installation at Tate Liverpool to be a destination: a place that one can go to and walk into this field of ideas. It will be a celebration of the power of the individual and the forging of a borderless new creative territory – I’m incredibly excited.

See also

Artist Doug Aitken presents a series of filmed conversations with well-known cultural figures exploring the essence of their creative process. The films are part of Aitken’s artwork The Source – an installation at Tate Liverpool